THE TREE THAT OWNS ITSELF 



661 



THE TREE THAT OWNS ITSELF 



Bv T. II. McHattox 

 Horticulturist, Georgia State Department of Agriculture 



ONE of the most i)riceless possessions of the cit_\' 

 of Athens, Georgia, is the tree that owns itself. 

 This fine, healthy, white oak, Quercus alba, is 

 unique in being the only plant in the world that possesses a 

 deed to the ground upon w liich it stands. There is no way 



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THE TREE THAT OWNS ITSELF 



William R.Jackson of Athens, Georgia, in his will bequeathed to this fine old white 

 oak entire possession of itself and the land for eight feet on all sides of it. Later, 

 George Foster Peabody placed the granite posts and chains around it. 



of telling how old this magnificent specimen is. The tree is 

 12.2 feet in circumference 5 feet from the ground, and 

 about 60 feet high. In the days before the war Mr. Wm. 

 H. Jackson used to climb the hill that this tree crowns 

 and rest in the shade of its branches. From this posi- 

 tion he could look out over his farm that stretched in 

 the bottom below the hill, and there, it is said, Mr. Jackson 

 spent a great deal of his time. When he died, in his will 

 was found the following bequest : 



" For and in consideration of the great love I bear 

 this tree and the great desire I have for its protection for 

 all time, I convey to it entire possession of itself and all 

 the land on eight feet of the tree on all sides." 



Of course, the laws of the State of Georgia would not 

 permit a plant to be its own owner, but the beauty of the 

 idea was accepted by the people of Athens and they are 

 proud to sav that they have in their midst a tree that is 

 its own master. 



Some years ago, Mr. George Foster Peabody had 

 granite posts and chains placed about the realm of this 

 forest monarch and caused to be engraved on a tablet 



of stone the c^uotation from the will and the name of 

 William H. Jackson. 



Besides this unique tree, Athens has many other beauti- 

 ful plants. The city has always been the educational cen- 

 tre of the State and in its younger days had many citizens 

 like William H. Jackson, who recognized the worth and 

 value and beauty of trees, and these men so impressed 

 the community with their reverence for plant life that in 

 its modern development the city has saved its magnificent 

 forest specimens for the edification of future generations. 



URGES HUNTERS TO BE CAREFUL 



EMI'HASIZING the destruction of property and hu- 

 man life caused by careless hunters, a warning is- 

 sued by the Forest Service urges all sportsmen on 

 the National Forests to use the greatest possible care to 

 prevent forest fires and to avoid such accidents as the 

 one which caused the death of Forest Ranger Clark on 

 the Cabinet National Forest in Montana last year. Mr. 

 Clark, it is said, was mistaken for a bear by a careless 

 hunter who fired without waiting to be sure what he was 

 shooting at. To show that such accidents are not un- 

 common, the warning quotes an estimate of the Biological 

 Sur\ey that between 150 and 200 persons are annually 

 killed in hunting accidents in this country and that this 

 number is increasing. Furthermore, it is stated, 15 per 

 cent of all the forest fires in the National Forests are 

 caused by careless hunters and other campers. 



The National Forests, it is pointed out, contain the 

 best hunting grounds in the country. The number of 

 game animals is increasing on account of the protection 

 from forest fires and illegal killing which is afforded by 

 Forest officers. On many of the Forests, deer, elk, moun- 

 tain sheep and other species are fairly plentiful, while 

 small game is usually abundant. Bear, mountain lion and 

 other predatory animals are found on most of the For- 

 ests and the killing of these meat eaters is encouraged 

 because they prey on domestic stock and the herbivorous 

 game animals. 



The value of the Forests for hunting grounds depends 

 largely upon whether they are protected from fire, says 

 the warning. Forest fires destroy the range and breeding 

 places of the game and often kill large numbers of the ani- 

 mals themselves, while a great many more are driven out 

 of the country by the flames. Furthermore, streams flow- 

 ing through burned-over areas are subject to such extreme 

 variations of flow and are often so choked up with de- 

 posits of sediment that fish cannot live in them. 



Each year, it is stated, sees an increase in the numbers 

 of persons who visit the National Forests for hunting and 

 other recreation purposes. Every efliort is made to encour- 

 age this use of the Forests. Maps showing the recreation 

 resources have been issued, and the trails built by the 

 rangers open up new country to visitors. 



The best indication of a man's fitness to he in the 

 woods, the warning points out, is the care which he shows 

 in handling fire-arms and fire. 



